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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · cue · hide · ground · ruler · current · stock · kick

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — in football
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. current — happening now
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — goods
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com